Scarecrows and Baseball and Foxes, Oh My: Inside Look into An Active Adult Community’s Fall Tradition

In the spirit of autumn, the residents of the Village at Deaton Creek are holding a scarecrow contest. Of course, I went down today to take a look and take some photos. They did quite a good job! Our active adult community holds other contests throughout the year. In no time at all, they’ll have their gingerbread-building contest.

Below is the notice I received in our community newsletter.

The Scarecrow Contest is on! Streets interested in participating will supply the front office with a fully decorated scarecrow on October 19th with a list of participating residents that live on their street.  The scarecrow will need to have your street name affixed to the scarecrow itself for voting purposes. Scarecrows will be on display outside the clubhouse during voting, October 20-27th. Voting will be open to the community and ballots will be located inside the clubhouse lobby. The winning street will be announced at the Scarecrow Ball on October 28th and sent out in the Daily on Monday, October 30. The winning street will be awarded a pizza party at the clubhouse!

While I’m certainly not on the judging panel, I’ll give my thoughts and ratings of all the scarecrows in my active adult community.

#1: Baseball Game

I liked this one. It reminds me of a Norman Rockwell painting. Americana, with a dash of hay fever. I can tell a lot of effort and creativity went into this display. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite out of the ones I saw, but I’ll give credit where credit is due.

#2: Bear Killer

Let me just say it again: I have such creative neighbors! They went above and beyond with this one. It’s simple but tells a great story. I’m enthralled with all the small details. Note the fake blood on the bear and the tiny skeleton peeking out of the birdhouse! A round of applause for these folks.

#3. The Ol’ Scarecrow Homestead

Now, while I can’t say this is one of my favorites, I still think it’s wonderful. It’s got a warm, cozy, autumnal feeling to it. At first, I thought the scarecrow couple were in the middle of their harvest. Upon further inspection, I read the board next to the lady. I assume she’s actually whipping up some fall recipe. However, since it calls for squirrels and bear whiskers, I think I’ll have to pass. My indigestion would never stand for it.

#4: Miss Foxiverse

Confession: I love foxes. If foxes could be kept as pets, I’d gladly have one. Every time I spy a fox out in the wild, I feel a little flutter of excitement. I say all that to let you know my bias right off hand. While this display may not be as innovative as some others, I love it. The bouquet of flowers in the crook of her arm is a nice touch. Yet another much-deserved round of applause for my neighbors.

#5: American Gothic: Scarecrow Edition

This one is nice! While certainly not my favorite or the most creative, I think it complements their yard well. The stuffed crows tucked in the hay give it a dash of spookiness—perfect for Halloween. I also like the lady scarecrow’s boa. In fact, they both look rather dapper.

Scarecrows on Parade!

I hope you all enjoyed my pictures of the scarecrow displays as much as I enjoyed seeing them in person! Like I said, I’m surrounded by talented and creative folks. Maybe next year, I’ll participate in the contest. My younger self would’ve automatically dismissed that notion, but the Robert of today is more willing to embrace new experiences. And that, my friends, is what makes retirement so great!